Sea warfare



y 1944. F. M. RABUSE 7 2,352,862

SEA WARFARE Filed June 27, 1942 fitverdo'n Femv/r M4 THEM/B45055Aflorney.

Patented July 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in sea warfare, to aid our countryto win the war. It is a floating decoy employing a dummy periscopeprojecting above the water. When one of our dummy periscopes is sighted,the enemy either tries to sink it by gun fire or ram it, dropping depthcharges on or around it. This invention can be used to mislead and leadto the destruction of the enemy, thus protecting our own submarines.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. My inventionhas a long vertical bar-like member, as a metal pipe I with top end 2made to resemble a periscope. A round, hollow, metal ball 3 holds thisdummy periscope 2 above the water. This hollow metal ball 3 contains oiland air sufiicient only to enable it to float, so that it will not beobservable by the enemy. The metal pipe I passes directly thru thecenter of the ball 3. The ball 3 is just below the periscope 2. Themetal pipe 1 extends down to where the water is calm, the part of thepipe I below the disc 5 having no particular utility. Adjacent to thebottom of the pipe I are four vertical radial metal fins 1. These holdthe periscope 2 erect. Right below these fins, attached to the fins I,is a horizontal metal disk 6. Just below the metal ball 3 is anotherhorizontal metal disk 5, and directly below it, are four vertical radialfins 4.

These two disks 5, 6, keep the periscope 2 from bobbing up and down whenwaves hit it. The fins 4, 1, keep the periscope from flopping side waysor back and forth.

The oil in the metal ball 3 is to mislead the enemy. When rammed by theenemy the oil will rise to the surface making it appear to the enemythat a real submarine was sunk.

A number of these decoys can be placed at required distances apart. Realsubmarines can be placed among them, and, when the enemy attacks, itwill not know whether or not they are real submarines.

If these decoys are placed near enemy ports by submarines, merchantships will try to ram them, or coast guard boats will try to sink themby depth charges.

Mines can be placed on or anchored around the decoys and when the enemytries to ram or get directly above to drop their depth charges, themines will sink them.

These decoys will be cheap to manufacture because the material used isinexpensive.

The hollow metal ball 3 containing oil and air constitutes a flotationmeans adapted to support the dummy periscope 2 in a vertical positionprojecting above the water.

The disks 5 and 6 serve as a means for holding the dummy periscopes fromunduly bobbing high enough above the water surface to disclose to theenemy the ball or float 3.

The fins 4 and I serve as a means for holding the dummy periscope 2 froma lateral teetering movement.

I claim:

1. In a decoy of the kind described, a vertical bar-like member adaptedto be disposed in the water, its upper portion being of substantiallythe size and simulating in appearance, but not effecting the functions,of a usual periscope, two horizontal disks centrally attached one spacedabove the other to said member, circumferentially spaced apart verticalradial fins attached at their inner edges to said member, and a hollownormally air tight float through which said member extends and isfastened disposed between the upper one of said disks and said upperperiscope simu lating portion of said member, said float containing oiland air sufficient only to enable it to float submerged and to supportsaid upper periscope simulating portion of said member above the water.

2. In a decoy of the kind described, a vertical bar-like member adaptedto be disposed in the water, its upper portion being of substantiallythe same size and simulating in appearance, but not effecting thefunctions, of a usual periscope, two horizontal disks centrally attachedone spaced above the other to said member the lower one of said disksbeing disposed adjacent to the lower end of said member, two sets ofvertical radial fins spaced one set above the other, the fins of eachset being spaced circumferentially apart and attached at their inneredges to said member, the lower set of fins being adjacent to and abovethe lower one of said disks, and the upper set of fins being below andadjacent to the upper one of said disks, and a normally air tight floatthrough which said member extends and is fastened disposed between theupper one of said disks and said upper periscope simulating portion ofsaid member, said fioat containing air and oil sufiicient only to enableit to float submerged and to support said upper periscope simulatingportion of said member above the water.

FRANK MATHEW RABUSEv

